“You Really Got Me” is a song written by Ray Davies and performed by English rock band the Kinks. It was released on 4 August 1964 as the group’s third single, and reached number one on the UK singles chart the next month, remaining for two weeks. The song became the group’s breakthrough hit; it established them as one of the top British Invasion acts in the United States, reaching number seven there later in the year. “You Really Got Me” was later included on the Kinks’ debut album, “Kinks”.

The song was covered by American rock band Van Halen in 1978 for their self-titled debut album. Eddie Van Halen has since expressed dissatisfaction with the use of “You Really Got Me” as the band’s debut single. He said: I would have maybe picked “Jamie’s Cryin'”, just because it was our own.